LOS ANGELES -- Since the peak of free agency ended, general manager Joe Hortiz and Los Angeles Chargers leadership have remained steadfast -- at least publicly -- that they don't see any needs on the Chargers roster.
Yet, the last time the Chargers played, when they were on the receiving end of a 32-12 playoff pummeling by the Houston Texans in the AFC wild-card round, their roster holes were well-defined.
In that loss, quarterback Justin Herbert was pressured on 39% of his dropbacks and sacked four times. He threw four interceptions after throwing just three all season. Wide receivers and tight ends not named Ladd McConkey combined for five catches for 45 yards and the Chargers gained just 50 rushing yards on 18 carries.
The issues for the Chargers were apparent and Jim Harbaugh made that clear after that Texans beatdown, telling reporters that the offensive line didn't protect Herbert well enough and that the Texans' edge pressure was the best his team had seen this season.
"He's got to be able to finish a throwing motion," Harbaugh said. "Quarterback's got to be able to do that, and we didn't put him in the position to do that enough."
That Houston loss proved that the Chargers needed help in a major way on offense, and they made additions in free agency with guard Mekhi Becton, running back Najee Harris, and wide receiver Mike Williams. Despite what the team says publicly, these weren't moves that fixed all of the Chargers' issues, and heading into last weekend's draft, they still needed upgrades on the interior offensive line, receiver, and tight end.
L.A. addressed their receiver needs early, drafting Ole Miss' Tre Harris in the second round and doubling down on the position with Auburn's KeAndre Lambert-Smith in the fifth; they also traded up to get Syracuse tight end Oronde Gadsden II in the fifth round. On the offensive line, however, the Chargers selected just one player, Pittsburgh's Branson Taylor, in the sixth round, a tackle the Chargers expect to compete at guard. The little investment in the Chargers interior in the draft seemed somewhat surprising considering how last season ended, and while the Chargers upgraded elsewhere to support Herbert, questions on the offensive line remain.
"I think we proved that last year we're very active from the draft on," Hortiz said of upgrading the team postdraft. "O-line specifically, love the guys that were already here, love that we added Branson, and they're all going to go out there and compete, play the best five, and roll."
The Chargers weren't big spenders despite going into free agency with the second most cap space in the NFL. Becton was the most important addition of the Chargers free agency class, signing a two-year, $20 million contract with $6.94 million fully guaranteed.
Becton had the best year of his career in 2024 with the Eagles, particularly shining as a run blocker. He finished 24th in run block win rate among guards, significantly ahead of the Chargers' starting guards last season, left guard Zion Johnson (43rd) and right guard Trey Pipkins (50th). The only other offensive line addition was former Raiders center Andre James, who was beaten out in Las Vegas by rookie Jackson Powers-Johnson late last season. Now Taylor, the sixth-round pick, joins the group.
"Coaches are excited about him," Hortiz said. " He's smart, he's tough .. [he's] a people mover."
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That still leaves the Chargers on shaky ground at left guard and center, where Bradley Bozeman started last season. Harbaugh and Hortiz have said that the plan is to try Johnson at center this season, which Harbaugh said at the owner's meetings makes Pipkins the leader of the pack at left guard ahead of training camp.
Pipkins has never played a regular season game at left guard. The Chargers moved him from right tackle to right guard last season after drafting Joe Alt in the first round. Pipkins was inconsistent at guard, faring particularly poorly as a run blocker.
As Hortiz alluded to after the draft, however, the Chargers aren't hesitant to make trades after evaluating the team during training camp. They were ostensibly dissatisfied with their quarterback play and saw the need for safety after training camp last season when Hortiz made deals for former Falcons quarterback Taylor Heinicke and former Titans safety Elijah Molden just before the beginning of the regular season.
Moves like that could happen again this offseason if Johnson and Pipkins or another pairing the Chargers land on underwhelms in training camp. Whatever the Chargers end up doing in the interior will likely be a crucial determinant in their season ending any differently than it did again in Houston last year.
When asked about his comfort level ahead of the draft of going into this season without upgrades at left guard or center, Hortiz appeared confident: "We were pretty good last season. Eleven wins, right?"